FreeNAS do not found 8 Hard Drives

[Jujube]

We want to install FreeNAS on a server in our company, which will be equipped with 8 HDDs, each of which has 6 terabytes of volume.
We are using this system configuration:

DELL PowerEdge R510 Server
2X Intel XEON X5650
32GB DDR3 Ram 1333MHz

Raid-Controller: PERC H200I
Adapter-Properties -- SAS2008
MPT-Firmware Revision: 7.15.04.00-IR
Package Version: 7.02.44.00
NVDATA Version: 07.00.00.17

8 Seagate IronWolf NAS SATA-HDDs
Capacity: 6 Terabyte
Modell: ST6000VN0033
Firmware: SC60

All downloads come from the FTP-Server iso.cdn.freenas.org

Using FreeNAS 11.3 only 7 of the 8 HDDs were recognized. The Raid Controller recognized all 8 HDDs. To identify which HDD was not found by the FreeNAS, I removed all the HDDs in turn while the server was on.

FreeNAS cannot find the HDD in Slot 6.

I put HDD 5 in slot 6, but there was no reaction from FreeNAS. Then I put HDD 6 in Slot 5, FreeNAS recognized the HDD and integrated this HDD.

The HDD is not defective. To be sure, I took a 9th HDD and put it in Slot 6, and again there was no reaction from FreeNAS.

To test the FreeNAS installation I deleted the USB Stick on which FreeNAS was installed and reinstalled it. I only used an HDD 6 in Slot 6. FreeNAS did not find this HDD. The Raid-Controller found HDD 6.

We've used an OpenSUSE installation to narrow down the bug. In OpenSUSE all disks were detected.

Then I installed an earlier version from FreeNAS, 11.2. Here only 7 HDDS were detected 7 too. Then I tried 11.1 U6, with the same result: 7 HDDs Detected. See the graphic below.

In the next step, I installed Version 11.0. Version 11.0 found all 8 HDDs.

Since I had all HDDs displayed in 11.0, I wanted to know if the error also occurs when updating 11.0 to 11.2 (graphic below). After the update from 11.0 to 11.2, FreeNAS again recognized only 7 HDDs.

In Version 11.1, the USB drive stick on which FreeNAS is installed is displayed as a hard disk. (graphic below). In addition, a S.M.A.R.T. warning message is issued for the USB device, which I must disable manually (graphic below).

In Version 11.0 the USB Device is not detected as a hard disk (graphic below).

Are you already aware of a problem with this RAID controller in this server? Is there a fix for this bug?


We have decided to use FreeNAS version 11.0 because we would like to use all 8 HDDs, which we cannot do if we use the current version. Now we must be careful that a member of staff does not accidentally click on "Update". This is of course relatively difficult because we can’t set the password to "neverupdatethesystem".

Does anyone else with the same server as us have this problem? Is there anyone with this server who does not have this problem?

We have ruled out a hardware defect, since the HDDs are recognized by all other systems. Only FreeNAS from version 11.1 onwards does not.

 

[HoneyBadger]

It's entirely possible that the 11.1 branch is using an updated driver that has a bug with your firmware.

But speaking of firmware:

Raid-Controller: PERC H200I
Adapter-Properties -- SAS2008
MPT-Firmware Revision: 7.15.04.00-IR
Package Version: 7.02.44.00
NVDATA Version: 07.00.00.17

Are you already aware of a problem with this RAID controller in this server? Is there a fix for this bug?

You aren't running IT (initiator-target) mode firmware on this HBA; this should be corrected as it could potentially be a cause of the issue if there is some manner of individual RAID0s or the drives are otherwise being controlled by the RAID functionality on the IR firmware.

Thankfully you are running an R510, which should not care about non-Dell firmware on an HBA in the "storage slot" (unlike the R710 which will refuse to boot)

 

[kdragon75]

MPT-Firmware Revision: 7.15.04.00-IR

The "RAID" card needs to be flashed with the IT firmware. There are lots of threads and how-to guides.

 

[Jujube]

Thanks for the hint.
I will test this and give a reply.

 

[HoneyBadger]

You may experience difficulty actually performing the flash in the R510 - the card may have to be relocated to another system during the flash, but it should boot fine once it has been migrated back.

I've had a lot of success following this guide:

https://techmattr.wordpress.com/201...-flashing-to-it-mode-dell-perc-h200-and-h310/

Note that the warning about "integrated" cards appears to apply only to the H310. I've read several reports of "integrated" H200 cards being successfully flashed.

 

[Chris Moore]

In the next step, I installed Version 11.0. Version 11.0 found all 8 HDDs.

Since I had all HDDs displayed in 11.0, I wanted to know if the error also occurs when updating 11.0 to 11.2 (graphic below). After the update from 11.0 to 11.2, FreeNAS again recognized only 7 HDDs.

I have not finished reading the thread yet, but this sounds like a bug may have been introduced when a driver version was changed. You should probably make a ticket in the bug tracker: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/projects/freenas

 

[Chris Moore]

Note that the warning about "integrated" cards appears to apply only to the H310. I've read several reports of "integrated" H200 cards being successfully flashed.

Just for clarification. This is a picture of the Dell PERC H310:



This is a picture of the Dell PERC H310 'mini card' which is the "integrated" card:



Not to scale. The mini card is a smaller card, as you might think from the name, and flashing it with the 'standard' LSI firmware turns it into a brick.

 

[jgreco]

Just for clarification. This is a picture of the Dell PERC H310:

This is a picture of the Dell PERC H310 'mini card' which is the "integrated" card:

Not to scale. The mini card is a smaller card, as you might think from the name, and flashing it with the 'standard' LSI firmware turns it into a brick.

Yes, but there is a difference between the "I" card ("integrated", "internal", depending on which docs you read) and the "mini" cards.

The "I" cards are just a standard PCIe card without the bracket. That's the kind of slot the R510 has. I've been stripping Dell PERC H700-i RAID controllers out of R510's and putting them in Supermicro boxes for hypervisor use. They're generally at least somewhat interchangeable with standard PCIe cards.

 

[jgreco]

You aren't running IT (initiator-target) mode firmware on this HBA; this should be corrected as it could potentially be a cause of the issue if there is some manner of individual RAID0s or the drives are otherwise being controlled by the RAID functionality on the IR firmware.

It's fine to run the IR firmware, but you need to run the LSI version of the IR firmware, and the proper version of the LSI IR firmware, or you can (and usually will) run into driver issues with the LSI driver that FreeBSD uses, which is very much what the original problem description here looks like. It's definitely known not to work well with the Dell IR firmware.

The LSI IR firmware runs a little slower than the LSI IT firmware, but is basically the same thing, except with the added RAID functionality. You do want to make sure that none of the RAID functionality is enabled if you go that route. The IT firmware gets its extra speed by omitting the extra code for RAID.

 

[Chris Moore]

but you need to run the LSI version of the IR firmware

Here is a little background on the reason why for any that want to know. Basically, the Dell firmware limits the ability of the card, but do read the article for details if you are interested:
https://www.vladan.fr/flash-dell-perc-h310-with-it-firmware/

 

[HoneyBadger]

While I appreciate people pointing out the H310's suckage in stock form at any opportunity, the OP's card is an H200 which doesn't suffer the same abysmally low default queue depth.

 

[Chris Moore]

While I appreciate people pointing out the H310's suckage in stock form at any opportunity, the OP's card is an H200 which doesn't suffer the same abysmally low default queue depth.

Sorry, my mistake.

Same process of updating the firmware though.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Jujube]

*For your information, I am a trainee IT specialist System integration in the first year of my apprenticeship

I've had a lot of success following this guide:

https://techmattr.wordpress.com/201...-flashing-to-it-mode-dell-perc-h200-and-h310/

Note that the warning about "integrated" cards appears to apply only to the H310. I've read several reports of "integrated" H200 cards being successfully flashed.

I have following this tip, but my Controller was after this manual in the FAULT-Status :-(
Now i have flash it back to the official FW.
But i talk with my instrucktor, then i give a reply :)

Thank you very much :)

 

[HoneyBadger]

*For your information, I am a trainee IT specialist System integration in the first year of my apprenticeship



I have following this tip, but my Controller was after this manual in the FAULT-Status :-(
Now i have flash it back to the official FW.
But i talk with my instrucktor, then i give a reply :)

Thank you very much :)

I've read some reports of users having trouble performing the flash in the R510. They can flash the card in a different system, and then move it back, but actually trying to flash it "in-place" fails for some reason. You may want to try that.

Best of luck on your apprenticeship!